XVII. FORESHADOWS

by Andy Adams

　　FORESHADOWSI returned to Texas early in September. My foreman on the DoubleMountain ranch had written me several times during the summer,promising me a surprise on the half-blood calves. There was nothingof importance in the North except the shipping of a few trainloadsof beeves from our ranch in the Outlet, and as the bookkeeper couldattend to that, I decided to go back. I offered other excuses forgoing, but home-hunger and the improved herd were the main reasons. Itwas a fortunate thing that I went home, for it enabled me to get intotouch with the popular feeling in my adopted State over the outlookfor live stock in the future. Up to this time there had been nogeneral movement in cattle, in sympathy with other branches ofindustry, notably in sheep and wool, supply always far exceedingdemand. There had been a gradual appreciation in marketable steers,first noticeable in 1876, and gaining thereafter about one dollar ayear per head on all grades, yet so slowly as not to disturb or excitethe trade. During the fall of 1879, however, there was a feelingof unrest in cattle circles in Texas, and predictions of a notableadvance could be heard on every side. The trail had been establishedas far north as Montana, capital by the millions was seekinginvestment in ranching, and everything augured for a brighter future.That very summer the trail had absorbed six hundred and fifty thousandcattle, or possibly ten per cent of the home supply, which readilyfound a market at army posts, Indian agencies, and two little cowtowns in the North. Investment in Texas steers was paying fifty to onehundred per cent annually, the whole Northwest was turning into oneimmense pasture, and the feeling was general that the time had comefor the Lone Star State to expect a fair share in the profits of thisimmense industry.Cattle associations, organized for mutual protection and the promotionof community interests, were active agencies in enlarging the Texasmarket. National conventions were held annually, at which everylive-stock organization in the West was represented, and buyer andseller met on common ground. Two years before the Cattle Raisers'Association of Texas was formed, other States and Territories foundedsimilar organizations, and when these met in national assembly thecattle on a thousand hills were represented. No one was more anxiousthan myself that a proper appreciation should follow the enlargementof our home market, yet I had hopes that it would come gradually andnot excite or disturb settled conditions. In our contracts with thegovernment, we were under the necessity of anticipating the market tenmonths in advance, and any sudden or unseen change in prices in theinterim between submitting our estimates and buying in the cattle tofill the same would be ruinous. Therefore it was important to keep afinger on the pulse of the home market, to note the drift of straws,and to listen for every rumor afloat. Lands in Texas were advancing invalue, a general wave of prosperity had followed self-government andthe building of railroads, and cattle alone was the only commoditythat had not proportionally risen in value.In spite of my hopes to the contrary, I had a well-grounded beliefthat a revolution in cattle prices was coming. Daily meeting with menfrom the Northwest, at Dodge and Ogalalla, during the summer justpassed, I had felt every throb of the demand that pulsated thosemarkets. There was a general inquiry for young steers, she stuff withwhich to start ranches was eagerly snapped up, and it stood to reasonthat if this reckless Northern demand continued, its influencewould soon be felt on the plains of Texas. Susceptible to all theseinfluences, I had returned home to find both my ranches littered witha big calf crop, the brand actually increasing in numbers in spite ofthe drain of trail herds annually cut out. But the idol of my eye wasthose half-blood calves. Out of a possible five hundred, there werefour hundred and fifty odd by actual count, all big as yearlings andreflecting the selection of their parents. I loafed away a week at thecañon camp, rode through them daily, and laughed at their innocentantics as they horned the bluffs or fought their mimic fights. TheDouble Mountain ranch was my pride, and before leaving, the foremanand I outlined some landed additions to fill and square up myholdings, in case it should ever be necessary to fence the range.On my return to the Clear Fork, the ranch outfit had just finishedgathering from my own and adjoining ranges fifteen hundred bulls fordistillery feeding. The sale had been effected by correspondence withmy former customer, and when the herd started the two of us drove onahead into Fort Worth. The Illinois man was an extensive dealer incattle and had followed the business for years in his own State, andin the week we spent together awaiting the arrival of his purchase, Ilearned much of value. There was a distinct difference between a rangecowman and a stockman from the older Western States; but while theoccupations were different, there was much in common between the two.Through my customer I learned that Western range cattle, when wellfatted, were competing with grass beeves from his own State; that theydressed more to their gross weight than natives, and that the qualityof their flesh was unsurpassed. As to the future, the Illinois buyercould see little to hope for in his own country, but was enthusiasticover the outlook for us ranchmen in the Southwest. All these thingswere but straws which foretold the course of the wind, yet neither ofus looked for the cyclone which was hovering near.I accompanied the last train of the shipment as far as Parsons,Kansas, where our ways parted, my customer going to Peoria, Illinois,while I continued on to The Grove. Both my partners and our segundowere awaiting me, the bookkeeper had all accounts in hand, and theprofits of the year were enough to turn ordinary men's heads. But Isounded a note of warning,--that there were breakers ahead,--thoughnone of them took me seriously until I called for the individual herdaccounts. With all the friendly advantages shown us by the War andInterior departments, the six herds from the Colorado River, takingtheir chances in the open market, had cleared more money per headthan had the heavy beeves requiring thirty-three per cent a largerinvestment. In summing up my warning, I suggested that now, whilewe were winners, would be a good time to drop contracting with thegovernment and confine ourselves strictly to the open market. Insteadof ten months between assuming obligations and their fulfillment, whynot reduce the chances to three or four, with the hungry, clamoringWest for our market?The powwow lasted several days. Finally all agreed to sever ourdealings with the Interior Department, which required cows for Indianagencies, and confine our business to the open market and supplyingthe Army with beef. Our partner the Senator reluctantly yielded to theopinions of Major Hunter and myself, urging our loss of prestigeand its reflection on his standing at the national capital. But wecountered on him, arguing that as a representative of the West theopportunity of the hour was his to insist on larger estimates for thecoming year, and to secure proportionate appropriations for both theWar and Interior departments, if they wished to attract responsiblebidders. If only the ordinary estimates and allowances were made, itwould result in a deficiency in these departments, and no one caredfor vouchers, even against the government, when the funds were notavailable to meet the same on presentation. Major Hunter suggested toour partner that as beef contractors we be called in consultation withthe head of each department, and allowed to offer our views for thegeneral benefit of the service. The Senator saw his opportunity,promising to hasten on to Washington at once, while the rest of usagreed to hold ourselves in readiness to respond to any call.Edwards and I returned to Texas. The former was stationed for thewinter at San Antonio, under instructions to keep in touch with themarket, while I loitered between Fort Worth and the home ranch. Thearrival of the list of awards came promptly as usual, but beyond arandom glance was neglected pending state developments. An advance oftwo dollars and a half a head was predicted on all grades, and buyersand superintendents of cattle companies in the North and West werequietly dropping down into Texas for the winter, inquiring for andoffering to contract cattle for spring delivery at Dodge and Ogalalla.I was quietly resting on my oars at the ranch, when a specialmessenger arrived summoning me to Washington. The motive was easilyunderstood, and on my reaching Fort Worth the message was supplementedby another one from Major Hunter, asking me to touch at Council Groveen route. Writing Edwards fully what would be expected of him duringmy absence, I reached The Grove and was joined by my partner, and weproceeded on to the national capital. Arriving fully two weeks inadvance of the closing day for bids, all three of us called and paidour respects to the heads of the War and Interior departments. Onspecial request of the Secretaries, an appointment was made for thefollowing day, when the Senator took Major Hunter and me underhis wing and coached us in support of his suggestions to eitherdepartment. There was no occasion to warn me, as I had just come fromthe seat of beef supply, and knew the feverish condition of affairs athome.The appointments were kept promptly. At the Interior Department wetarried but a few minutes after informing the Secretary that we weresubmitting no bids that year in his division, but allowed ourselves tobe drawn out as to the why and wherefore. Major Hunter was a manof moderate schooling, apt in conversation, and did nearly all thetalking, though I put in a few general observations. We were cordiallygreeted at the War Office, good cigars were lighted, and we went overthe situation fully. The reports of the year before were gone over,and we were complimented on our different deliveries to the Army. Weaccepted all flatteries as a matter of course, though the past ispoor security for the future. When the matter of contracting for thepresent year was broached, we confessed our ability to handle anyawards in our territory to the number of fifty to seventy-fivethousand beeves, but would like some assurance that the present orforthcoming appropriations would be ample to meet all contracts. Ourdoubts were readily removed by the firmness of the Secretary when aswe arose to leave, Major Hunter suggested, by way of friendly advice,that the government ought to look well to the bonds of contractors,saying that the beef-producing regions of the West and South hadexperienced an advance in prices recently, which made contractingcattle for future delivery extremely hazardous. At parting regretwas expressed that the sudden change in affairs would prevent oursubmitting estimates only so far as we had the cattle in hand.Three days before the limit expired, we submitted twenty bids to theWar Department. Our figures were such that we felt fully protected, aswe had twenty thousand cattle on our Northern range, while advicewas reaching us daily from the beef regions of Texas. The opening ofproposals was no surprise, only seven falling to us, and all admittingof Southern beeves. Within an hour after the result was known, a wirewas sent to Edwards, authorizing him to contract immediately fortwenty-two thousand heavy steer cattle and advance money liberally onevery agreement. Duplicates of our estimates had been sent him thesame day they were submitted at the War Office. Our segundo had triplethe number of cattle in sight, and was then in a position to actintelligently. The next morning Major Hunter and I left the capitalfor San Antonio, taking a southern route through Virginia, sightingold battlefields where both had seen service on opposing sides,but now standing shoulder to shoulder as trail drovers and armycontractors. We arrived at our destination promptly. Edwards wasmissing, but inquiry among our bankers developed the fact that he hadbeen drawing heavily the past few days, and we knew that all was well.A few nights later he came in, having secured our requirements atan advance of two to three dollars a head over the prices of thepreceding spring.The live-stock interests of the State were centring in the comingcattle convention, which would be held at Fort Worth in February. Atthis meeting heavy trading was anticipated for present and futuredelivery, and any sales effected would establish prices for the comingspring. From the number of Northern buyers that were in Texas, andothers expected at the convention, Edwards suggested buying, beforethe meeting, at least half the requirements for our beef ranch andtrail cattle. Major Hunter and I both fell in with the idea of oursegundo, and we scattered to our old haunts under agreement to reportat Fort Worth for the meeting of the clans. I spent two weeks among myranchmen friends on the headwaters of the Frio and Nueces rivers, andwhile they were fully awake to the advance in prices, I closed tradeson twenty-one thousand two and three year old steers for Marchdelivery. It was always a weakness in me to overbuy, and in receivingI could never hold a herd down to the agreed numbers, but myshortcomings in this instance proved a boon. On arriving at FortWorth, the other two reported having combed their old stamping-groundsof half a dozen counties along the Colorado River, and having securedonly fifteen thousand head. Every one was waiting until after thecattle convention, and only those who had the stock in hand could beinduced to talk business or enter into agreements.The convention was a notable affair. Men from Montana and interveningStates and Territories rubbed elbows and clinked their glasses withthe Texans to "Here's to a better acquaintance." The trail droverswere there to a man, the very atmosphere was tainted with cigarsmoke, the only sounds were cattle talk, and the nights were wild andsleepless. "I'll sell ten thousand Pan-Handle three-year-old steersfor delivery at Ogalalla," spoken in the lobby of a hotel or barroom,would instantly attract the attention of half a dozen men in furovercoats and heavy flannel. "What are your cattle worth laid down onthe Platte?" was the usual rejoinder, followed by a drink, a cigar,and a conference, sometimes ending in a deal or terminating in afriendly acquaintance. I had met many of these men at Abilene,Wichita, and Great Bend, and later at Dodge City and Ogalalla, and nowthey had invaded Texas, and the son of a prophet could not foretellthe future. Our firm never offered a hoof, but the three days of theconvention were forewarnings of the next few years to follow. I waspersonally interested in the general tendency of the men from theupper country to contract for heifers and young cows, and while theprices offered for Northern delivery were a distinct advance overthose of the summer before, I resisted all temptations to enter intoagreements. The Northern buyers and trail drovers selfishly joinedissues in bearing prices in Texas; yet, in spite of their unitedefforts, over two hundred thousand cattle were sold during themeeting, and at figures averaging fully three dollars a head overthose of the previous spring.The convention adjourned, and those in attendance scattered to theirhomes and business. Between midnight and morning of the last day ofthe meeting, Major Hunter and I closed contracts for two trail herdsof sixty-five hundred head in Erath and Comanche counties. Within aweek two others of straight three-year-olds were secured,--one in myhome county and the other fifty miles northwest in Throckmorton. Thiscompleted our purchases for the present, giving us a chain of cattleto receive from within one county of the Rio Grande on the south tothe same distance from Red River on the north. The work was dividedinto divisions. One thousand extra saddle horses were needed for thebeef herds and others, and men were sent south, to secure them. Allprivate and company remudas had returned to the Clear Fork to winter,and from there would be issued wherever we had cattle to receive. Acarload of wagons was bought at the Fort, teams were sent in afterthem, and a busy fortnight followed in organizing the forces. Edwardswas assigned to assist Major Hunter in receiving the beef cattle alongthe lower Frio and Nueces, starting in ample time to receive thesaddle stock in advance of the beeves. There was three weeks'difference in the starting of grass between northern and southernTexas, and we made our dates for receiving accordingly, mine forMedina and Uvalde counties following on the heels of the beef herdsfrom the lower country.From the 12th of March I was kept in the saddle ten days, receivingcattle from the headwaters of the Frio and Nueces rivers. All my oldforemen rendered valuable assistance, two and three herds being inthe course of formation at a time, and, as usual, we received elevenhundred over and above the contracts. The herds moved out on goodgrass and plenty of water, the last of the heavy beeves had passednorth on my return to San Antonio, and I caught the first train out tojoin the others in central Texas. My buckboard had been brought downwith the remudas and was awaiting me at the station, the ColoradoRiver on the west was reached that night, and by noon the next day Iwas in the thick of the receiving. When three herds had started, Ireported in Comanche and Erath counties, where gathering for our herdswas in progress; and fixing definite dates that would allow Edwardsand my partner to arrive, I drove on through to the Clear Fork. Underprevious instructions, a herd of thirty-five hundred two-year-oldheifers was ready to start, while nearly four thousand steers werein hand, with one outfit yet to come in from up the Brazos. We weregathering close that year, everything three years old or over must go,and the outfits were ranging far and wide. The steer herd was helddown to thirty-two hundred, both it and the heifers moving out thesame day, with a remnant of over a thousand three-year-old steers leftover.The herd under contract to the firm in the home county came up fullin number, and was the next to get away. A courier arrived from theDouble Mountain range and reported a second contingent of heifersready, but that the steers would overrun for a wieldy herd. The nextmorning the overplus from the Clear Fork was started for the newranch, with orders to make up a third steer herd and cross Red Riverat Doan's. This cleaned the boards on my ranches, and the next day Iwas in Throckmorton County, where everything was in readiness topass upon. This last herd was of Clear Fork cattle, put up withintwenty-five miles of Fort Griffin, every brand as familiar as my own,and there was little to do but count and receive. Road-branding wasnecessary, however; and while this work was in progress, a relaymessenger arrived from the ranch, summoning me to Fort Worthposthaste. The message was from Major Hunter, and from the hurriedscribbling I made out that several herds were tied up when ready tostart, and that they would be thrown on the market. I hurried home,changed teams, and by night and day driving reached Fort Worth andawakened my active partner and Edwards out of their beds to get theparticulars. The responsible man of a firm of drovers, with five herdson hand, had suddenly died, and the banks refused to advance thenecessary funds to complete their payments. The cattle were underherd in Wise and Cook counties, both Major Hunter and our segundo hadlooked them over, and both pronounced the herds gilt-edged north Texassteers. It would require three hundred thousand dollars to buy andclear the herds, and all our accounts were already overdrawn, but itwas decided to strain our credit. The situation was fully explained ina lengthy message to a bank in Kansas City, the wires were kept busyall day answering questions; but before the close of business we hadauthority to draw for the amount needed, and the herds, with remudasand outfits complete, passed into our hands and were started thenext day. This gave the firm and me personally thirty-three herds,requiring four hundred and ninety-odd men and over thirty-five hundredhorses, while the cattle numbered one hundred and four thousand head.Two thirds of the herds were routed by way of Doan's Crossing inleaving Texas, while all would touch at Dodge in passing up thecountry. George Edwards accompanied the north Texas herds, and MajorHunter hastened on to Kansas City to protect our credit, while I hungaround Doan's Store until our last cattle crossed Red River. Theannual exodus from Texas to the North was on with a fury, and on myarrival at Dodge all precedents in former prices were swept aside inthe eager rush to secure cattle. Herds were sold weeks before theirarrival, others were met as far south as Camp Supply, and it waseasily to be seen that it was a seller's market. Two thirds of thetrail herds merely took on new supplies at Dodge and passed on to thePlatte. Once our heavy beeves had crossed the Arkansas, my partner andI swung round to Ogalalla and met our advance herd, the foreman ofwhich reported meeting buyers as far south as the Republican River.It was actually dangerous to price cattle for fear of being under themarket; new classifications were being introduced, Pan-Handle andnorth Texas steers commanding as much as three dollars a head overtheir brethren from the coast and far south.The boom in cattle of the early '80's was on with a vengeance. Therewas no trouble to sell herds that year. One morning, while I waslooking for a range on the north fork of the Platte, Major Hunter soldmy seven thousand heifers at twenty-five dollars around, commandingtwo dollars and a half a head over steers of the same age. Edwards hadbeen left in charge at Dodge, and my active partner reluctantly torehimself away from the market at Ogalalla to attend our deliveriesof beef at army posts. Within six weeks after arriving at Dodge andOgalalla the last of our herds had changed owners, requiring anothermonth to complete the transfers at different destinations. Many of thesteers went as far north as the Yellowstone River, and Wyoming andNebraska were liberal buyers at the upper market, while Colorado,Kansas, and the Indian Territory absorbed all offerings at the lowerpoint. Horses were even in demand, and while we made no effort to sellour remudas, over half of them changed owners with the herds they hadaccompanied into the North.The season closed with a flourish. After we had wound up our affairs,Edwards and I drifted down to the beef ranch with the unsold saddlestock, and the shipping season opened. The Santa Fé Railway had builtsouth to Caldwell that spring, affording us a nearer shipping point,and we moved out five to ten trainloads a week of single and doublewintered beeves. The through cattle for restocking the range hadarrived early and were held separate until the first frost, wheneverything would be turned loose on the Eagle Chief. Trouble was stillbrewing between the Cherokee Nation and the government on the one sideand those holding cattle in the Strip, and a clash occurred that fallbetween a lieutenant of cavalry and our half-breed foreman LaFlors.The troops had been burning hay and destroying improvements belongingto cattle outfits, and had paid our range a visit and mixed thingswith our foreman. The latter stood firm on his rights as a Cherokeecitizen and cited his employers as government beef contractors, butthe young lieutenant haughtily ignored all statements and ordered thehay, stabling, and dug-outs burned. Like a flash of light, LaFlorsaimed a six-shooter at the officer's breast, and was instantly coveredby a dozen carbines in the hands of troopers."Order them to shoot if you dare," smilingly said the Cherokee to theyoung lieutenant, a cocked pistol leveled at the latter's heart,"and she goes double. There isn't a man under you can pull a triggerquicker than I can." The hay was not burned, and the stabling anddug-outs housed our men and horses for several winters to come.